Plyscrapers: Rematerializing Christchurch

Abstract

After the devastating earthquakes of 22nd February 2011, Christchurch, New Zealand has been in a state of architectural flux. With a significant loss of building stock to the Central Business District (CBD), practitioners have been given the task to rethink, renew and revitalise the city of Christchurch architecturally. A newfound industry wide impetus toward construction with engineered timber products (Mass Timber), has provided those practitioners involved, the perfect opportunity for innovation in this form of construction. In this context, this research sets out to investigate innovation in timber construction to provide an insight into one such material that could provide a rapid response for a significant inner city site. The design aspect of the research takes a contrasting view in relation to the current planning decisions, specifically those addressing building height, for the CBD. The intent of this is to develop a design response that will serve as an alternative advocator for urban densification.

Employing the feasibility of Mass Timber construction, the research challenges preconceptions associated with high-rise buildings that have arisen and led to the denunciation of such buildings in the Christchurch CBD. Furthermore, structure has been investigated concurrently as a means of driving or inducing innovative design. Pertinent to this is the exploration of an ‘exoskeletal structure’, an inventive Mass Timber structural system. Exoskeletal structures are not a new concept to the architectural high-rise realm, however this research reinterprets this structural configuration in a Mass Timber format and is therefore seen as an innovative step for a form of construction that is still emerging developmentally.